Pollutant treating and eliminating device



Aug. 26, 1969 s. ZALMAN ,91

POLLUTANT TREATING AND ELIMINATING DEVICE Filed May 29, 1967 I v s Sheets-Sha e 1 INVENTOR. S04 one/v 2 41. law

I! TTOPNB V Aug. 26, 1969 s. ZALMAN POLLUTANT TREATING AND ELIMINATING DEVICE SSheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 29, 1967 J) TTORNE V Aug. 26, 1-969 5 ZALMAN 3,462,919

POLLUTANT TREATING AND EIJIMINATING DEVICE Filed May 29, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 F I ,57 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,462,919 POLLUTANT TREATING AND ELIMINATING DEVICE Solomon Zalman, Ozone Park, N.Y. (114-08 Rockaway Beach Blvd., Rockaway Park, N.Y. 11694) Filed May 29, 1967, Ser. No. 641,995 Int. Cl. B01d 47/02 US. Cl. 55-256 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pollutant treating and eliminating device for treating and eliminating pollutants from exhausts emitted into the atmosphere comprising a hood enclosing the exhaust outlet, a forced air stream drawn into the hood from the atmosphere mixing with the exhaust, the exhaust and atmosphere mixture being positively passed through a fluid, wherein the hood is open to the atmosphere to permit the exhaust to escape in the event of a failure of the forced draft.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention Air pollution control devices for use in conjunction with exhausts which otherwise carry pollutants to the atmosphere.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is perhaps unfortunately true that those densely populated and industrialized areas which produce the greatest amount of air pollution have for the protection of the inhabitants the strictest and most closely regulated zoning, building and construction ordinances which severely limit and restrict the design, erection and use of any and all mechanisms for the control of that pollution.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide an air pollutant treating and eliminating device adapted for use with pollutant carrying exhausts which is in strict accordance with those strictures of municipalities as relate to design, erection and use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an air pollutant treating and eliminating device for pollutant carrying exhausts which will eliminate those pollutants in the most effective manner and yet in the safest.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an air pollutant treating and eliminating device utilizing a forced draft system but which also provides fail-safe features in the event of a failure of that system.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an air pollutant treating and eliminating device for use in conjunction with existing exhaust outlets such as chimneys.

Basically, and not by way of limitation, the present invention comprises a hood which is placed over the outlet of a chimney. The hood is ducted to a liquid immersion treating tank. A forced draft system draws in air from the atmosphere through a frontal opening in the hood and through a bottom opening in the hood, mixes it with the pollutant laden exhaust and positively forces the air exhaust mixture through the liquid treating bath. The shape and construction of the hood is such that, in the event of a failure of the forced draft system, the exhaust is permitted free escape to the atmosphere.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a side view of the air pollutant treating and eliminating device of the present invention shown erected over a chimney.

FIGURE 2 is a front fragmentary view, partly in phantom, of the air pollutant treating and eliminating device of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a partial side cross-sectional view of the air pollutant treating and eliminating devioe of FIGURE 1, showing a forced draft.

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-sectional view as taken across line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 and showing the front of the hood in phantom.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view as taken across line 505 of FIGURE 3 with the chimney removed therefrom.

FIGURE 6 is a top view of a modified embodiment of the air pollutant treating and eliminating device of the present invention.

FIGURE 7 is a front view of the modified embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is a partial cross-sectional view taken across line 88 of FIGURE 6 showing the forced draft.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, the air pollutant treating and eliminating device 10 of the present invention comprises a hood 12, a duct 14, a liquid immersion treating tank 16 and a supporting framework 18.

Hood 12 is tapered downwardly from front to rear. The front 20, which may have a rectangular crosssection, is completely open and unencumbered except, perhaps, for an open mesh fowl excluding screen which is not intended to obstruct an air flow. The bottom 22 of hood 12 is also fully open to the atmosphere again except for the possible inclusion of an open mesh grill adapted to save the feathers of curious birds while not interfering with the air flow. The top and sides of hood 12 taper downwardly and inwardly from front 20 to rear portion 24 and connect to and communicate with downwardly extending duct 14. Duct 14 extends into tank 16 and opens below the surface of the liquid 26 contained therein.

A forced positive draft is created by a plurality of fans 28 mounted within hood 12 adjacent rear portion 24 and forces air from front 20 and bottom 22 toward rear portion 24 and into duct 14. A secondary fan 32 may be located within duct 14 for further aiding the forced draft and overcoming frictional resistance of the duct and of fluid 26.

Tank 16 has an inlet 34 through which duct 14 extends and has an outlet system which may consist of a plurality of outlets 36 ducted to the atmosphere.

OPERATION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Air pollutant treating and eliminating device 10 is erected about chimney 30 such that the top of the chimney extends through bottom 22 and partly into hood 12. If a bird screen is provided across bottom 22, it should of course have a central opening to permit the passage of chimney 30. The opening should be slightly larger than the outside dimensions of the chimney so as to permit relative movement between chimney 30 and hood 12 as would occur from thermal changes, windload and the like. The opening of chimney 30 is located between front 20 and fans 28.

With fans 28 and 32 operating air from the atmosphere is drawn into hood 12 from front 20 and bottom 22. It is pulled toward rear portion 24 along with the exhaust of chimney 30. No portion of the exhaust can escape hood 12. The mixed exhaust and air is forced down duct 14 into fluid 26 through which it passes out to the atmosphere via outlets 36 but not before the pollutants contained in the exhaust are trapped, removed and contained by fluid 26.

In the event of a failure of the forced draft created by fans 28 and 32, the never ceasing exhaust flow up chimney 30 is then directed by the taper of hood 12 through front 20 and out to the atmosphere in the normal unencumbered pollutant carrying manner.

Fluid 26 may be any such liquid as will trap and remove the pollutants in the exhaust. Water, perhaps mixed with an anti-freeze solution, may well be adequate for most purposes. A purnp filtering and recirculating filter 40 may be provided to circulate fluid 26 and mechanically remove the pollutants trapped therein.

DESCRIPTION OF A MODIFIED EMBODIMENT A modified embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGURES 6-8. Chimney 130 extends into hood 112 between the front 120 thereof and fan 128. Fan 128 draws air from the atmosphere in through open front 120, mixes it with the exhaust of chimney 130, and forces it through duct 114 into fluid 126 through which it is filtered and escapes to the atmosphere via louvers 143 in an enclosure 150. A failure of fan 128 to pump the exhaust into fluid 126 is not fatal since the exhaust may readily escape to the atmosphere through open front 120 of hood 112.

While the foregoing is illustrative of preferred and modified embodiments of the present invention it is clear that other embodiments and modifications may be had within the teachings of the invention and the scope of the claims. For example, a plurality of tanks 16 may be employed in rotation permitting a previously used tank to be cleaned while a previously cleaned tank is used. Alternatively a plurality of tanks 16 may be used in succession, one after the other with the air mixture of air and exhaust being pumped from one to the next so as to permit more positive and/or selective removal of the pollutants. Different fluids may be employed in the different tanks for this purpose. Again, alternatively, mechanical rather than fluid filtering system may be employed.

What is claimed is:

1. An air pollutant treating and eliminating apparatus for removing pollutants from chimney exhausts, from a chimney comprising;

an open hood extending horizontally, the top wall of said open hood tapering downwardly from front to rear and the sides of said open hood tapering inwardly from front to rear, the front of said open hood defining a front opening and the bottom of said open hood defining a bottom opening, an inlet in the bottom for receiving the chimney, said inlet being smaller than said bottom opening and spaced apart from the rear of said hood, both openings 4 placed about the top of the chimney at said inlet so that it extends into said hood through a portion of said bottom opening;

a liquid filter tank positioned adjacent to the base of the chimney including a body of liquid and having at least one outlet above the upper surface of the liquid;

3. vertical duct connecting the rear of said open hood at a rear wall thereof to the inlet of said liquid filter tank, said duct being disposed below the surface of said liquid at the tank inlet;

a support means for supporting said open hood and said duct; and,

air pump means including a plurality of fans disposed within said hood adjacent to its connection with said duct for drawing the air into the front and bottom openings of said open hood for mixing with the chimney exhaust and conducting the mixture through said duct into said liquid filter tank.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said air pump means comprises a second fan disposed within said connecting duct for drawing said mixture into said fluid filter tank.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said liquid filter tank additionally comprises a liquid pump and filter means for circulating the liquid in said tank.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 468,378 2/1892 Wills. 494,264 3/1893 Seymour 55484 952,970 3/1910 Whitmore. 1,103,304 7/1914 Lent. 1,639,179 8/1927 Hamel 261-17 1,939,949 12/1933 Bertram. 2,415,471 2/1947 Dorfan 98-1 15 2,646,263 7/1953 Goldberg 55259 2,693,946 11/1954 Mcllvaine. 3,063,686 11/1962 Irvin 26l30 3,260,036 7/1966 De Bellis 55261 1,902,411 3/1933 McCarthy 55261 2,795,103 6/1957 Jenison. 3,353,336 11/ 1967 Caballero 55228 HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner BERNARD NOZICK, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

permitting free passage of air, said open hood being 261, 421, 468, 471; 98-115; 26ll7, 77, l2l 

